Global specialist in energy management, Schneider Electric, has released Vijeo Citect +PowerConnect. The application gives users the information needed to understand energy consumption by bringing power and process data together within their Vijeo Citect SCADA system.

According to Quintin McCutcheon, Marketing and Operations general manager at Schneider Electric South Africa, having energy consumption information directly alongside process metrics allows for comprehensive analysis and a detailed understanding of your energy usage. “The more you know about your energy consumption, the less energy you will use and the more money you can save,” he says.

He adds that the application gives users the ability to connect power meters to their Vijeo Citect SCADA systems, including IEC 61850 protocol meters. Additional benefits can also be experienced if they are employing Schneider Electric power meters, as pre-defined equipment templates facilitate simple and rapid configuration to deliver a quicker return on investment.

“It can also access on-board power meter alarms to detect rapid changes in energy variables, allowing a detailed impact analysis of process changes. For example, with detailed time-stamped data, highly effective analysis can determine the causes of peak demand.

“Additionally, this data can contribute to eliminating energy waste. During periods of zero production, devices that are still consuming energy can be identified and strategies to remove this cost can be developed,” says McCutcheon.

At the operator level, Vijeo Citect +PowerConnect delivers important benefits. Increased operator visibility of energy production data can help them play a more active role in reducing costs. For instance, this information can alert operators when energy consumption exceeds or falls below predefined consumption levels. Operators are then in a better position to respond to this situation and adjust the process accordingly, resulting in better energy management.

Vijeo Citect +PowerConnect also allows operators to monitor the efficiency of processes that provide a fixed output, such as compressors. Where a process is not achieving optimal energy efficiency, appropriate action can be taken, such as where Vijeo Citect +PowerConnect highlights a spike in the energy usage of a compressor, an operator may be alerted to schedule appropriate maintenance.

“The application can also deliver overall business benefits by providing information needed to analyse and improve the efficiency of current production processes. This information can be used to implement best practices and ensure that production is running at an optimised energy consumption level. It can also assist in complying with energy regulations, standards and energy reduction targets.